It is a common practice to cover walls and ceilings with drywall or paneling material when constructing a new residential or commercial building. The structure is first roughed in with framing members, for example, “studs”, to form walls for various areas, and for supporting wall coverings, such as the drywall or paneling. The studs are also used to hold electrical boxes that house electrical switches, receptacles, and other electrical devices. Electrical wires are strung through the framing studs to the electrical boxes. The studs are then commonly covered with drywall or paneling, where the drywall or paneling acts as the walls of the building. In order to properly install the drywall or paneling, accurate “cut outs”, matching the precise sizes and shapes of the various electrical boxes that are attached to the studs must be cut out of the drywall to accommodate the electrical boxes that must extend through the drywall or paneling. These electrical box “cut outs” can be very challenging to measure and lay out on drywall. Often, cutting errors are made during the installation of drywall or paneling, resulting in wasted material, time, and frustration.
It is the object of this invention to provide an improved method of laying out electrical box “cut outs” in drywall sheets by providing a tool that: (1) is constructed of a single piece, (2) is simple to use, (3) requires no adjustments, (4) can produce precise mirror image layouts on both sides of a drywall sheet, (5) works universally for all sizes and shapes of electrical boxes, (6) has a low manufacturing cost, (7) can locate and lay out multiple of ganged electrical boxes, (8) is small to handle and store, (9) is disposable, (10) is re-usable, (11) provides a means for producing precise electrical box “cut outs” in drywall sheets without having to measure, (12) produces “cut outs” free from breakout and roughly cut edges that may require repair or may contaminate painting rollers during the painting of the drywall.